Log Files and Custom Logging

This page will cover the locations of the log files, along with the associated variables and how to leverage them for custom logging or creating custom log files.

Variables

_DEPLOYRLOGS:

Path were DeployR will create the DeployR log file. This variable can be used in custom scripts as well to let the script know where it can save any custom logging it does.
Gets set along the way moving from X to S to C depending on the stage of the task sequence. More details about the location of the DeployR.log below.

Log Files

DeployR.log
- Contains details about the steps from the task sequence
DeployR-bootstrap.log
- Contains details about launching the task sequence and restarting it as well as the details of the environment. Some details include:
  - Importing the certificate files
  - Listing the PowerShell and .Net versions
  - Path variable
  - Finishing of the task sequence and cleanup of folders
DeployR-BootstrapPE.log
- Imports Certificates into WinPE
- Configures StifleR agent (if integrated)
- Starts the Client Shell

Locations

DeployR.log
- WinPE before Format
  - x:\_2P\logs
- WinPE after Format
  - s:\_2P\logs
- Full OS during active task sequence, for failed task sequence that never successfully finished
  - c:\_2P\logs
  - Note that s:\_2P\logs is the same "physical" location as c:\_2P\logs, as both s:\ and c:\ are the the assigned drive letter for the OS Drive, one is just in WinPE, and the other from the full OS.
- Full OS after task sequence completed successful
  - c:\windows\temp\DeployRLogs
DeployR-bootstrap.log
- c:\windows\temp
DeployR-BootstrapPE.log
- WinPE: x:\windows\temp (Does not get migrated to full os, it will disappear with WinPE )

Custom Script Logging

For adding logging into DeployR for your scripts or custom steps, the two main options are leveraging writing to the DeployR.log, or creating a different log file entirely.

Writing to DeployR log.

Custom scripts can leverage the simple Write-Output or Write-Host functions to have information be written to the log file. This is very similar to how you can write to the SMSTS.log in ConfigMgr.

Here is an example from a script that is taking several variables, and writing them out to the log for easy reading later.

Write-Host "================================================================================"
#Set the initial variables for the DeployR Task Sequence environment
#This is in UTC, so it can be used for logging and other purposes

# Get the provided variables
[String]$SetTimeZoneName = ${TSEnv:SetTimeZoneName}
[String]$TimeZoneDropDown = ${TSEnv:TimeZoneDropDown}
[String]$InitialProgressTimeout = ${TSEnv:InitialProgressTimeout}
[String]$InitialPeering = ${TSEnv:InitialPeering}
[String]$InitialFinishAction = ${TSEnv:InitialFinishAction}
[String]$InitialSystemLocale = ${TSEnv:InitialSystemLocale}
[String]$InitialUserLocale = ${TSEnv:InitialUserLocale}
[String]$InitialUILanguage = ${TSEnv:InitialUILanguage}
[String]$InitialInputLocale = ${TSEnv:InitialInputLocale}

Write-Host "Recording initial variables for the Task Sequence environment"
#Report Variables:
Write-Output "Var SetTimeZoneName: $SetTimeZoneName"
Write-Output "Var TimeZoneDropDown: $TimeZoneDropDown"
Write-Output "Var InitialProgressTimeout: $InitialProgressTimeout"
Write-Output "Var InitialPeering: $InitialPeering"
Write-Output "Var InitialFinishAction: $InitialFinishAction"
Write-Output "Var InitialSystemLocale: $InitialSystemLocale"
Write-Output "Var InitialUserLocale: $InitialUserLocale"
Write-Output "Var InitialUILanguage: $InitialUILanguage"
Write-Output "Var InitialInputLocale: $InitialInputLocale"
Write-Host "================================================================================"
write-host "Doing the work...."

${TSEnv:OSDStartTime} = (Get-Date).ToUniversalTime().ToString('yyyy-MM-dd HH:mm:ss')
Write-Host "Setting OSDStartTime to: ${TSEnv:OSDStartTime}" -ForegroundColor Green

Here is the result in the DeployR log. In yellow are the write-output / write-host commands , rest of the logging is what DeployR does.

Custom Log Files

The other option is to have entirely new log files created, this is handing on complex steps, or application installs where you'd like the installer log created and added to the DeployR log folder. In the custom script, let your log path to the DeployR log variable

$LogFolder = ${TSEnv:_DEPLOYRLOGS}

It can then be leveraged in the command line for where the log should go

$Install = Start-Process -FilePath msiexec.exe -ArgumentList "/i $MSI /l*v $LogFolder\StifleRClientMSI.log /quiet OPTIONS=$OPTIONS AUTOSTART=1" -Wait -PassThru

Writing to Custom Log with Function

The script can also use a logging function where you'd write out to a log file. These are a couple of functions that have worked well in creating a "CMTrace" style log.

#Borrowed from https://github.com/hypercube33/SCCM/blob/master/Detect_Report_Remove_1909_G3%20Scrubbed.ps1
$Global:LogFolderPath = ${TSEnv:_DEPLOYRLOGS}
$Global:LogFilePath = "$($Global:LogFolderPath)\DeployRCustomLogging.log"
$Global:LogFileSize   = "40"

function Start-CMTraceLog {
    # Checks for path to log file and creates if it does not exist
    param (
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$Path
    )

    $indexoflastslash = $Path.lastindexof('\')
    $directory = $Path.substring(0, $indexoflastslash)

    if (!(test-path -path $directory)){
        New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path $directory
    }
    else{
        # Directory Exists, do nothing    
    }
}

function Write-CMTraceLog {
    param (
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $true)]
        [string]$Message,
        
        [Parameter(Mandatory = $false)]
        [string]$LogPath = $($Global:LogFilePath),
            
        [Parameter()]
        [ValidateSet(1, 2, 3)]
        [int]$LogLevel = 1,

        [Parameter()]
        [string]$Component,

        [Parameter()]
        [ValidateSet('Info','Warning','Error')]
        [string]$Type
    )
    Switch ($Type) {
        Info {$LogLevel = 1}
        Warning {$LogLevel = 2}
        Error {$LogLevel = 3}
    }
    # Get Date message was triggered
    $TimeGenerated = "$(Get-Date -Format HH:mm:ss).$((Get-Date).Millisecond)+000"
    $Line = '<![LOG[{0}]LOG]!><time="{1}" date="{2}" component="{3}" context="" type="{4}" thread="" file="">'
    $LineFormat = $Message, $TimeGenerated, (Get-Date -Format MM-dd-yyyy), $Component, $LogLevel
    $Line = $Line -f $LineFormat
    # Write new line in the log file
    Add-Content -Value $Line -Path $LogPath
    # Roll log file over at size threshold
    if ((Get-Item $Global:LogFilePath).Length / 1KB -gt $Global:LogFileSize) {
        $log = $Global:LogFilePath
        Remove-Item ($log.Replace(".log", ".lo_"))
        Rename-Item $Global:LogFilePath ($log.Replace(".log", ".lo_")) -Force
    }
} 

# Start up the logs
Start-CMTraceLog -Path $Global:LogFilePath

Write-CMTraceLog -Message "=====================================================" -Type "Info" -Component "Main"
Write-CMTraceLog -Message "Starting Script..." -Type "Info" -Component "Main"
Write-CMTraceLog -Message "=====================================================" -Type "Info" -Component "Main"

Result from the Example:

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Last updated 19 days ago